Honeysuckles (Lonicera) are arching shrubs or twining vines in the honeysuckle family, Caprifoliacea, that also includes scabiosa, weigela, and abelia. They are native to northern latitudes in North America, Eurasia, and North Africa where they are found in a variety of habitats including woodlands, pastures and disturbed areas. The plants grow up to 20′ tall an have fibrous stems that carry oval to egg-shaped leaves that are .4-4″ long, have smooth margins, and may be deciduous or evergreen . The tubular or trumpet-shaped flowers appear in clusters or pairs in early summer, and are often fragrant and two-lipped. They come in a variety of color including white, pink, red or a combination of colors. The flowers of many are attractive to pollinators including butterflies and hummingbirds and the red, blue, or black berries that follow are often attractive to birds but may be poisonous to humans. Photo Credit: Wikipedia
Honeysuckles like full sun (but some tolerate some shade), and average, moderately moist, well-drained soil in USDA Hardiness Zones 4-9 depending on the species. Plants are generally healthy but are susceptible to damage by aphids, spider mites, and powdery mildew. Propagation is by layering or stem cuttings.
The genus name Lonicera honors Adam Lonicer October 1528- May 1586), a Renaissance German botanist.
The environmental conditions of the Southeast have resulted in at least 5 species of native honeysuckle but they may be native to other areas of the U.S. too. The honeysuckles described here are native to at least 3 of the states in the Southeast.
American Fly Honeysuckle (Lonicera canadensis)
This straggly open shrub has thin leaves that are narrowly ovate to elliptical, 1-3.5″ long, and have fine hairs on their margins. Bell- or tubular-shaped flower hand downward in pairs from 1″ long stalks at the tips and from the leaf axils in late spring. The flowers are two-lipped, 1/2-3/4″ long, white or pale yellow sometimes tinged with purple. They give way to reddish orange berries in widely divergent pairs. The flowers are attractive to hummingbirds, butterflies and other pollinators including bumblebees.
Alternate Name/s: Canadian fly honeysuckle
Native Range: Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia as well as area in the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and New England
Habitat: Dry to moist upland woods, forests, wetlands
Type: Deciduous perennial shrub
Height: 2-6′
Bloom Time: Late spring to early summer
Bloom Color: White to yellow, sometimes tinged with purple
Light: Full sun to partial shade
Soil: Average, medium moist, well-drained
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-7
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
Limber Honeysuckle (Lonicera dioica)
This vine-like shrub has arching and twining branches that crawl over neighboring vegetation. The leaves are 1-3″ long, elliptical lanceolate or bovate, and the uppermost pairs are fused around the stem at their base. Clusters of red, two-lipped, tubular flowers are arranged in whorls at the tips of the branches. Each flower is 1/2-1″ long, has yellow stamens, and gives rise to a small round to oval, red to orange berry. The flowers are attractive hummingbirds and the berries are eaten by birds.
Alternate Name/s: Glaucous honeysuckle, mountain honeysuckle, red honeysuckle, smooth-leaved honeysuckle, twining honeysuckle
Native Range: Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia and Alabama as well as places in the Rocky Mountain area, Southwest, Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and New England
Habitat: Thickets, outcrops, boggy areas, rocky slopes, woods
Type: Deciduous perennial vine-like shrub
Height: 2-10
Bloom Time: Spring
Bloom Color: Red
Light: Full sun to partial shade
Soil: Average, medium most, well-drained; tolerates occasional dry soil and occasional wet soil
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-5
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
Yellow Honeysuckle (Lonicera flava)
This woody vine may crawl along the ground, form a small shrub, or climb a sturdy structure. The leaves are elliptical, 3-5″ long, and the uppermost pair is fused around the stem at the base. The yellow to orange flowers appear in whorls at the end of the stems in mid to late spring. Each flower is tubular, two-lipped, 1.25″ long, and gives way to small orange-red berries. The flowers attract butterflies, hummingbirds and other pollinators and the berries attract birds.
Alternate Name/s: None
Native Range: Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Arkansas as well as places in the Rocky Mountain area, Southwest, and Midwest
Habitat: Woodlands and forests, margins of streams and rivers
Type: Deciduous perennial woody vine
Height: 10-20′
Bloom Time: Mid to late spring
Bloom Color: Yellow, orange
Light: Full sun to partial shade
Soil: Average, medium, well-drained
USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-8
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
Grape Honeysuckle (Lonicera reticulata)
Twining stems carry oval to round leaves 1½ to 3½” long. The upper most 1-2 pair of leaves are fused into a disc like structure that is a grayish-green or blue color. One to two clusters of of flowers appear in whorls of 2-6 above the terminal leaf disc in late spring to early summer. Each flower is pale yellow aging to pink, fragrant, ¾–1″ long, tubular, slender, and two-lipped with stamens protruding beyond the corolla. The fruits that follow are red and form a cluster resembling a small bunch of grapes. The flowers attract hummingbirds and the berries attract birds and small mammals.
Alternate Name/s: None
Native Range: Kentucky, Tennessee, and Georgia as well as places in the Southwest, Midwest, and Mid-Atlantic
Habitat: Woodlands, savannas, thickets
Type: Deciduous, perennial, woody vine
Height: 10-15′
Bloom Time: Late spring to early summer
Bloom Color: Pale yellow to orange-yellow
Light: Full sun to part sun
Soil: Average, medium moist, well-drained
USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-8 ?
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
Trumpet Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens)
This semievergreen twining climber has bluish green leaves that oval and 1-3″ long. The upper pair of leaves are fused into a disc. From mid spring to early summer, whorled clusters of non-fragrant flowers appear above the leaf disc. The narrow tubular flowers are 1/2 to 2″ long, two lipped, and red with a yellow throat. The fruit that follows is an inedible red berry. The flowers are attractive to hummingbirds, butterflies and other pollinators and the berries are attractive to birds. Plants are salt tolerant and so a good choice for coastal gardens.
Alternate Name/s: Coral honeysuckle, scarlet honeysuckle
Native Range: Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Florida as well as places in the Southwest, Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and New England
Habitat: Forest edges, woodlands
Type: Semievergreen, perennial woody vine
Height: 8-20′
Bloom Time: Mid spring to early summer
Bloom Color: Red, yellow
Light: Full sun
Soil: Organically rich, medium moisture, well-drained
USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-9
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
The Southeast includes Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Florida. Most of these states are characterized by hot, humid summers and cool to mild winters, with Florida’s tip being tropical. Summers are generally hot and humid throughout the entire region. Precipitation is abundant in the area and comes mostly in the form of rain.